fast-glob

Is a faster node-glob alternative.

💡 Highlights

• 🚀 Fast by using Streams and Promises. Used readdir-enhanced and micromatch.

• 🔰 User-friendly, since it supports multiple and negated patterns (['*', '!*.md']).

• 🚦 Rational, because it doesn't read excluded directories (!**/node_modules/**).

• ⚙️ Universal, because it supports Synchronous, Promise and Stream API.

• 💸 Economy, because it provides fs.Stats for matched path if you wanted.

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Install

$ npm install --save fast-glob

Usage

Asynchronous

const fg = require('fast-glob');

fg(['src/**/*.js', '!src/**/*.spec.js']).then((entries) => console.log(entries));
fg.async(['src/**/*.js', '!src/**/*.spec.js']).then((entries) => console.log(entries));

Synchronous

const fg = require('fast-glob');

const entries = fg.sync(['src/**/*.js', '!src/**/*.spec.js']);
console.log(entries);

Stream

const fg = require('fast-glob');

const stream = fg.stream(['src/**/*.js', '!src/**/*.spec.js']);

const entries = [];

stream.on('data', (entry) => entries.push(entry));
stream.once('error', console.log);
stream.once('end', () => console.log(entries));

API

fg(patterns, [options])

fg.async(patterns, [options])

Returns a Promise with an array of matching entries.

fg.sync(patterns, [options])

Returns an array of matching entries.

fg.stream(patterns, [options])

Returns a ReadableStream when the data event will be emitted with Entry.

patterns

• Type: string|string[]

This package does not respect the order of patterns. First, all the negative patterns are applied, and only then the positive patterns.

options

• Type: Object

See options section for more detailed information.

fg.generateTasks(patterns, [options])

Return a set of tasks based on provided patterns. All tasks satisfy the Task interface:

interface Task {
  /**
   * Parent directory for all patterns inside this task.
   */
  base: string;
  /**
   * Dynamic or static patterns are in this task.
   */
  dynamic: boolean;
  /**
   * All patterns.
   */
  patterns: string[];
  /**
   * Only positive patterns.
   */
  positive: string[];
  /**
   * Only negative patterns without ! symbol.
   */
  negative: string[];
}

Entry

The entry which can be a string if the stats option is disabled, otherwise fs.Stats with two additional path and depth properties.

Options

cwd

• Type: string

• Default: process.cwd()

The current working directory in which to search.

deep

• Type: number|boolean

• Default: true

The deep option can be set to true to traverse the entire directory structure, or it can be set to a number to only traverse that many levels deep.

For example, you have the following tree:

test
└── one
    └── two
        └── index.js

📖 If you specify a pattern with some base directory, this directory will not participate in the calculation of the depth of the found directories. Think of it as a cwd option.

fg('test/**', { onlyFiles: false, deep: 0 });
// -> ['test/one']
fg('test/**', { onlyFiles: false, deep: 1 });
// -> ['test/one', 'test/one/two']

fg('**', { onlyFiles: false, cwd: 'test', deep: 0 });
// -> ['one']
fg('**', { onlyFiles: false, cwd: 'test', deep: 1 });
// -> ['one', 'one/two']

ignore

• Type: string[]

• Default: []

An array of glob patterns to exclude matches.

dot

• Type: boolean

• Default: false

Allow patterns to match filenames starting with a period (files & directories), even if the pattern does not explicitly have a period in that spot.

stats

• Type: boolean

• Default: false

Return fs.Stats with two additional path and depth properties instead of a string.

onlyFiles

• Type: boolean

• Default: true

Return only files.

onlyDirectories

• Type: boolean

• Default: false

Return only directories.

followSymlinkedDirectories

• Type: boolean

• Default: true

Follow symlinked directories when expanding ** patterns.

unique

• Type: boolean

• Default: true

Prevent duplicate results.

markDirectories

• Type: boolean

• Default: false

Add a / character to directory entries.

absolute

• Type: boolean

• Default: false

Return absolute paths for matched entries.

📖 Note that you need to use this option if you want to use absolute negative patterns like ${__dirname}/*.md.

nobrace

• Type: boolean

• Default: false

Disable expansion of brace patterns ({a,b}, {1..3}).

brace

• Type: boolean

• Default: true

The nobrace option without double-negation. This option has a higher priority then nobrace.

noglobstar

• Type: boolean

• Default: false

Disable matching with globstars (**).

globstar

• Type: boolean

• Default: true

The noglobstar option without double-negation. This option has a higher priority then noglobstar.

noext

• Type: boolean

• Default: false

Disable extglob support (patterns like +(a|b)), so that extglobs are regarded as literal characters.

extension

• Type: boolean

• Default: true

The noext option without double-negation. This option has a higher priority then noext.

nocase

• Type: boolean

• Default: false

Disable a case-sensitive mode for matching files.

Examples

• File System: test/file.md, test/File.md

• Case-sensitive for test/file.* pattern (false): test/file.md

• Case-insensitive for test/file.* pattern (true): test/file.md, test/File.md

case

• Type: boolean

• Default: true

The nocase option without double-negation. This option has a higher priority then nocase.

matchBase

• Type: boolean

• Default: false

Allow glob patterns without slashes to match a file path based on its basename. For example, a?b would match the path /xyz/123/acb, but not /xyz/acb/123.

transform

• Type: Function

• Default: null

Allows you to transform a path or fs.Stats object before sending to the array.

const fg = require('fast-glob');

const entries1 = fg.sync(['**/*.scss']);
const entries2 = fg.sync(['**/*.scss'], { transform: (entry) => '_' + entry });

console.log(entries1); // ['a.scss', 'b.scss']
console.log(entries2); // ['_a.scss', '_b.scss']

If you are using TypeScript, you probably want to specify your own type of the returned array.

import * as fg from 'fast-glob';

interface IMyOwnEntry {
	path: string;
}

const entries: IMyOwnEntry[] = fg.sync<IMyOwnEntry>(['*.md'], {
	transform: (entry) => typeof entry === 'string' ? { path: entry } : { path: entry.path }
	// Will throw compilation error for non-IMyOwnEntry types (boolean, for example)
});

How to exclude directory from reading?

You can use a negative pattern like this: !**/node_modules or !**/node_modules/**. Also you can use ignore option. Just look at the example below.

first/
├── file.md
└── second
    └── file.txt

If you don't want to read the second directory, you must write the following pattern: !**/second or !**/second/**.

fg.sync(['**/*.md', '!**/second']); // ['first/file.txt']
fg.sync(['**/*.md'], { ignore: '**/second/**' }); // ['first/file.txt']

⚠️ When you write !**/second/**/* it means that the directory will be read, but all the entries will not be included in the results.

You have to understand that if you write the pattern to exclude directories, then the directory will not be read under any circumstances.

How to use UNC path?

You cannot use UNC paths as patterns (due to syntax), but you can use them as cwd directory.

fg.sync('*', { cwd: '\\\\?\\C:\\Python27' /* or //?/C:/Python27 */ });
fg.sync('Python27/*', { cwd: '\\\\?\\C:\\' /* or //?/C:/ */ });

Compatible with node-glob?

Not fully, because fast-glob does not implement all options of node-glob. See table below.

node-glob	fast-glob
cwd	cwd
root	–
dot	dot
nomount	–
mark	markDirectories
nosort	–
nounique	unique
nobrace	nobrace or brace
noglobstar	noglobstar or globstar
noext	noext or extension
nocase	nocase or case
matchBase	matchbase
nodir	onlyFiles
ignore	ignore
follow	followSymlinkedDirectories
realpath	–
absolute	absolute

Benchmarks

Tech specs:

Server: Vultr Bare Metal

• Processor: E3-1270v6 (8 CPU)

• RAM: 32GB

• Disk: SSD

You can see results here for latest release.

Related

• readdir-enhanced – Fast functional replacement for fs.readdir().
• globby – User-friendly glob matching.
• node-glob – «Standard» glob functionality for Node.js
• bash-glob – Bash-powered globbing for node.js.
• glob-stream – A Readable Stream interface over node-glob that used in the gulpjs.
• tiny-glob – Tiny and extremely fast library to match files and folders using glob patterns.

Changelog

See the Releases section of our GitHub project for changelogs for each release version.

License

This software is released under the terms of the MIT license.